Worthwhile Way

Love Is All

Worthwhile Way play positive punk. No bones about it, the title Love Is All isn’t some ironic statement, the band brings an upbeat, happy sound that’s typically devoid from almost any subgenre of music. Mayu’s lead vocals convey a pep that meets the bouncy rhythms of Chege with some powerful ’77-style guitars to bring it all home.

For a basic sound, take the poppier elements of London Calling, add in female vocals and a bit more harmony and you’ve got a basic understanding. The drums keep it bouncy and upbeat and the guitars offer start-stop rhythms and some big hooks in between. Mayu handles the majority of the vocals, though the group works a number of harmonies in at the chorus. She has a sweet yet powerful voice that suits the band’s tone perfectly. Bassist Kaorin picks up some vocals, as in “See You,” and it’s definitely got a different (lesser) feel when that happens.

While The Clash comparison earlier acts as a summary of sound, the band pulls from other directions. “Birds Sing” has a little western swagger at the intro, “Swig Beer” has a beat that almost has a military march element, and “I’ll Raise a New Flag” closes with a dramatic guitar outro. Considering that Mayu mostly sticks to the same vocal range throughout and that the songs don’t vary drastically in structure, the band does a very good job of mixing up their sound over the twelve songs. On a side note, the band sure likes “whoa-ohs,” though perhaps that can be attributed to singing in a non-native tongue. Regardless, everything is short and punchy and it’s over too fast to nitpick over such things.

The LP is mostly new, though a quarter of it also appears on previously released EPs. The compilation aspect doesn’t hinder the cohesion though. The lower points tend to come when they do mix it up, mostly with the vocals in “See You” or “Family Song.” These songs can, at times, hinder the momentum. The standouts come in the form of “A Lark,” “Flow to the World,” and “Swig Beer.”

While it lives up to (high) expectations from having seen them at Fest 10 and picking up a couple splits in the time since, the record doesn’t smash my expectations either—perhaps because of the reuse of older songs and perhaps from a few lesser songs. None the less,Love Is Allis a winner of a record, especially for fans that rare piece of pop-punk not dominated by Ramonescore.

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